FiddlerDan student setup
I am pleased to offer my setup services to stores and dealers for various lines of student string instruments. As a string player, repairer and parent of children playing string instruments my focus is on getting the best sound, enhancing playability and ensuring longevity of the instruments. String instruments are a unique highly crafted combination of spruce, maple and ebony that all have to work together. All three timbers behave differently with heat, moisture and overtime.
Setup for a student instrument takes into the current and future needs of a student and differs thus slightly from a professional setup. It targets longevity, robustness as well as differences arising from student strings and bridges
My student setup service take new imported string instrument and get them ready for playing. My setups (and brief) is to get them ready for the level of player they will be used for, with specific attention to pegs, nut, bridge , soundpost and tailpiece.
Why does your instrument need setting up?
New instruments come from manufacture slightly oversized, in areas critical for playability and sound, ready for local setup. I work to internationally accepted luthier measurements during setup, though leave a little bit of room for wear and further customisation/adjustment as a student develops and the instrument ages.
After Setup
It is not unusual for an instrument during acclimation to Australian climate and settling in for setup dimensions to vary a little over time. A check-in with your string shop after a few months is suggested as required, and a service after 12-18months will keep it in tip top condition after that.
Using your new instrument
When you are first using your new instrument the strings will need more tuning with the pegs than usual. To avoid over tightening, first detune a string (to overcome the stiction) before tightening, Use a *gentle* pressure into the peg box as well during tightening. With new strings, as you tighten them, the bridge may have a tendency to lean towards the pegs – ask your teacher to check this and straighten it if necessary to prevent the bridge from warping or falling over.
What’s in my student setup
PEGS : Ebony pegs are tapered and need to make contact with most of the hole area on both sides of the peg, sometimes the holes need to be shaped so they don’t slip-grip. Peg holes are reamed if required, a peg may go slightly deeper in some cases to ensure a snug fit. Pegs are lubricated with peg paste to ensure they stick and move appropriately for tuning.
NUT : The nut is shaped so it doesn’t catch on the fingers and is low enough to support appropriate string heights. The string grooves are smoothed and set to appropriate heights. Note: I set these slightly higher than for professional players, this ensures a long life (with steel strings particularly) and are lubricated with graphite.
BRIDGE : The bridge carries the string vibrations through to the belly, it needs to be strong enough to support them over time without warping yet thin enough it doesn’t mute the sound. For student instruments I leave the bridges a bit thicker, so that unnoticed leans don’t lead to premature warping. I set the height of the bridge so the strings are playable in the higher positions, whilst leaving enough room for the strings to vibrate freely. i tend to set to gut height rather than steel string height so that when a student moves to better strings there is plenty of room for them to ‘swing’. The top of the bridge is shaped to make string crossing easy. Excess wood is removed from the wings and sides of the bridge to preserve strength, yet allow the tonal capacity of the instrument to speak.
SOUNDPOST : Sometimes called the soul of the violin this joins the top and bottom plates just under the bridge. Its placement and fit are critical to the sound of the instrument. Generally speaking the sound posts come a little long and fitted too close to the centre of the instrument. These are moved and where necessary trimmed and grain lines aligned properly.
TAILPIECE : These are trimmed for length of the tail gut and the fine adjusters lubricated.
ENDPIN : These are checked for fit and endpin hole is reamed where necessary (particularly on the larger instruments)
As your playing (and instrument needs) develop, a premium setup can entail fitting of a European bridge (the harder seasoned maple resonates better), fitting a new more resonant sound post, nut sculpting and fingerboard planning. These compliment string and bow upgrades which can dramatically improve sound when the players technique supports it. These are normally a beneficial investment on higher grade instruments, less so on entry level instruments.
